52.19° N · 1.71° W
Shakespeare's birthplace, Anne Hathaway's cottage, his grave and the RSC theatre, about two hours from London. Best with a night.
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
House museum · 1 h 30 · £25 online · includes the New Place gardens · timed entry
House and garden · 1 h 30 · £15 online or £5 with the Birthplace · 30 min on foot across the countryside
Gardens and exhibition · 45 min · included with the Birthplace · in the centre
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From April to October: gardens in bloom, boats on the river and a full season at the theatre. In winter the houses open short hours and the boats do not run.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Stratford-upon-Avon has no flights from Spain: you fly to London, with direct flights from almost every Spanish airport, and carry on by train from Marylebone, about two hours, or by hire car along the M40, in under two hours. Birmingham, about 40 minutes by car, also has direct flights from some Spanish cities. Once there, you can explore the centre on foot.
Stratford is small and everything Shakespearean is within walking distance: from the station it is ten minutes to the Birthplace, fifteen to the theatre and half an hour to Anne Hathaway's house along a path between meadows. The train from Marylebone takes about two hours, so a single day falls short: with one night you can see the houses, the river and an RSC performance.
By car, Stratford is less than two hours from central London along the M40, and a car lets you do something the train does not: carry on to the villages of the northern Cotswolds, such as Chipping Campden, half an hour away. In the centre, leave the car in a car park or at the park and ride and get around on foot.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Stratford works with children as long as you do not shut them up in old houses all morning. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust houses have actors reciting in the garden and a family trail; the river has boats and rowing boats from Easter to autumn, and the theatre runs tours from age 5. Under-3s do not pay at the houses.
With small children, what works in Stratford is outside the houses: the gardens of New Place and Anne Hathaway's, the swans and ducks in Bancroft Gardens and, in season, half an hour on a boat. The houses are narrow and have steps: bring a baby carrier rather than a pushchair.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: A 45-room hotel on Waterside, directly opposite the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, with a restaurant, afternoon tea and parking.
Why we like it: A chain hotel on Payton Street, beside the canal and five minutes on foot from the Birthplace, with family rooms, air conditioning and a restaurant.
Services for this trip
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: a pie or fish and chips on the terrace, with a pint, looking out over the river.
What to order: the Ivor Novello afternoon tea, with homemade scones, cream and strawberry jam.
Map
The places to stay and services on the map are the ones for the way you travel. Turn on the layers you want and tap a point to see its details.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
51.88° N · 1.76° W
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Tips
Online it is £2 cheaper and you skip the queue.
Together, the second costs only £5.
The path through the meadows is part of the visit.
Evening performances finish too late for the last train to London.
From Easter to autumn; in winter they do not run.
Mary Arden's Farm and Hall's Croft, which appear in old guidebooks: they are still closed to general visits. Don't count on them.
Stratford-upon-Avon is Shakespeare's town: he was born here in 1564, married Anne Hathaway here, bought the biggest house in the town here with what he earned in London, and is buried here. The family's houses can be visited, the River Avon flows past the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre and the centre keeps streets of black-and-white timber-framed houses. It is about two hours from London by train or car: you can do it in one long day, but with a night you enjoy it more and can see a performance.
By train, Chiltern Railways leaves London Marylebone and takes about two hours; most trains to Stratford involve a change at Leamington Spa. Buy your ticket in advance for a specific time. The station is ten minutes' walk from the centre.
By car, via the M40 to junction 15 and then the A46, in under two hours from central London if the traffic out of town is kind. In the centre there are pay car parks and a park and ride with a bus. A car makes sense if you want to continue to the Cotswolds: Chipping Campden and Broadway are half an hour away.
On an organised tour, many London agencies combine Stratford with Oxford and the Cotswolds in a day. You see each place for an hour; if you are interested in Shakespeare, better to go independently.
The logical order follows his life. Start with the Birthplace, on Henley Street, with a timed ticket: the timber-framed house where he grew up, his father's glove-making workshop and actors reciting in the garden. The same ticket includes New Place, on Chapel Street, the garden where the house in which he died once stood. Then go down Church Street to Holy Trinity Church, beside the river, where his grave is: it costs £5 to enter the chancel.
In the afternoon, walk half an hour across meadows to Anne Hathaway's Cottage, in Shottery, the thatched farmhouse of his wife's family; with the Birthplace ticket it costs just £5 more. On the way back, finish at the river: from Easter to autumn there are half-hour boat trips in front of the theatre and rowing boats to go independently.
If you stay, the night is for the theatre: the Royal Shakespeare Company performs Shakespeare almost all year. If not, there is the one-hour guided tour of the building. Bear in mind that two Trust houses, Mary Arden's Farm and Hall's Croft, are closed to general visits.
In a day, leaving early from Marylebone, you arrive around ten and can see the Birthplace, New Place, the church and Anne Hathaway's, and come back in the evening. It is a long day: four hours of train there and back. With a night you see the same without hurrying, add an RSC performance and in the morning have the town to yourself before the coaches arrive.
From April to October: the river has boats, the gardens are in bloom and the theatre is in full programme. In winter the houses close at 16:00, the boats do not run and the town is quiet; December has a Christmas market.
The Birthplace ticket, with New Place, costs £25 online; Anne Hathaway's, £5 more with it; the grave, £5; the boat, £12. The house tickets are valid for a year. Eating in a pub or tea room costs £15–30 per person.
Questions
Yes, but it is a long day: about two hours by train each way. With a night you enjoy it more.
The Birthplace, New Place and Anne Hathaway's Cottage. Mary Arden's Farm and Hall's Croft are closed to general visits.
In Holy Trinity Church, beside the river; seeing the grave costs £5.
From Marylebone you almost always have to change at Leamington Spa; in total, about two hours.
Yes: the Royal Shakespeare Company performs almost all year in its theatre beside the river.
If you want to combine it with the villages of the northern Cotswolds, yes.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/england/stratford-upon-avon
